The 200,000sqm facility, located in the Oakdale West industrial estate, will be Amazon’s fifth fulfilment centre (FC) in Australia and the second in western Sydney – effectively doubling the company’s operational footprint locally.
Amazon said the warehouse will create 1500 jobs, with human staff to work alongside 1600 advanced robots. The construction and fit out of the state-of-the-art facility have also created an additional 1,700 jobs.
The building’s shell is near completion, with the Southern Hemisphere’s first Amazon Robotics fulfilment centre built using a 13,500 tonne Australian steel frame and 200,000 nuts and bolts – more than the Sydney Olympic Stadium.
Expected to become operational later this year, the fulfilment centre will house up to 11 million items and will be equipped with advanced Amazon Robotics technology to better assist employees and customers.
The site is the size of 24 rugby league fields – the largest warehouse in western Sydney.Amazon Australia director of operations Craig Fuller said robots will work collaboratively with employees by moving the pods of inventory to them, reducing the time and effort that would otherwise be required – robotics also allow 50 per cent more items to be stowed per sqm.
“Utilising advanced technology, the robotics will enhance the efficiency of our operations as well as the safety of our associates, helping to support our Amazonians as they pick, pack and ship the millions of items housed within the FC to customers around the country.”
Amazon worked with Goodman Group and its JV partner Brickworks to secure the site, with Goodman managing development of the facility.
Goodman general manager Jason Little said the development continues to deliver the integrated commercial and industrial property group’s global strategy of providing essential infrastructure to support the digital economy, and to meet the increasing demand for strategically located logistics space with easy access to large consumer markets.
“Our $150 million investment in roads and infrastructure will create road capacity and better access to services, building on outer-western Sydney as a key area for logistics and transportation,” he said.
Amazon said the facility will allow customers to get packages earlier
Amazon launched in Australia in December 2017 and now offers customers 125 million products across 31 different categories including Amazon devices.
Amazon Robotics will complement Amazon’s existing network of four Australian fulfilment centres launched in Dandenong South, Melbourne in December 2017, followed by Moorebank, Sydney in August 2018, Perth’s Airport Precinct in November 2019 and most recently Lytton, Brisbane in late 2020.amazon roboit
A second Melbourne FC will open in mid-2021.
